


a true, true friend

by starmiya



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Dandelions, Friendship, Gen, Headcanon- Unions cannot speak with one another and Lux standings are a brutal competition, KHUX - Freeform, Kingdom Hearts Union Cross, Not Beta Read, Pre-Keyblade War(KHUX), Pre-Kingdom Hearts, This started out as a drabble and transformed into a fic oops, extremely mild angst, pretty canon-compliant, sfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 10:57:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19868491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starmiya/pseuds/starmiya
Summary: friends can come from the strangest of places, and the oddest of times. but what's most important is how they stand by your side in times of need.





	a true, true friend

6 am.

By now, Elise should have woken up and prepared for her daily missions. Unfortunately, she had been incapacitated in bed for the past week due to a particularly nasty Heartless attack in the southern corner of Daybreak Town. Forced to attack the hoard of darkness without a team, it was impossible for her to escape unscathed.

The blonde huffed dejectedly and fixed her gaze on the Ursus flag that was pinned on the rightmost wall of her room. She admired Master Aced’s strength and purpose, and hoped that in joining his Union, some of his strength would mend her cowardice. Unfortunately, Elise was not the only fledgling Keyblade wielder who fought for Master Aced’s hard-earned approval: in fact, it was valued so fervently that members would commit fraud and sabotage for it. Marking territories with the greatest amount of Heartless, threatening other teams for Lux and supplies, enslaving weak wielders for social acceptance, or targeting high-ranking members. Master Aced’s praise was rare, so when it was given, a wielder would know that it was genuine.

Elise was never strong: consistent low Lux yields and low Heartless fell counts was proof enough to other members that she would never improve. People didn’t need to focus on weak members for their team. The only thing that mattered was what ranking your team achieved that month.

She knew that her team only accepted her because a Union team requires 6 members, and they were one short. Elise pretended that her team didn’t ostracize and isolate her, but it hurt just the same. It was only a matter of time before she got replaced.

The incident with the Heartless seemed like a cruel predetermined fate: Elise, now too weak to contribute to Lux collecting, couldn’t possibly stay with her team. She would only be a dead weight. And yet…

Elise closed her eyes, remembering that same moment. The same breeze, the same chocolate locks, the same smile and eyes and warmth and kindness and-

A quiet knock interrupted the blonde’s thoughts.

“Hello?”

A clear voice quaked Elise’s heart. It was her, the girl who saved her that day.

“Yes,” putting a little more emphasis in her voice. “Come in.”

A brunette stepped into Elise’s room. The azure-hued wielder wore a rose-pink blouse and trousers, complete with a white peacoat, black boots and a lavender Lux pocket strapped around her waist.

And the memories started flooding back.

///

_“I’m outnumbered,” the blonde weeped, gripping her Lady Luck keyblade tightly. The cobblestone walkways were completely covered by shadows. Countless heartless stood in her way; it seemed like her swings did nothing to circumvent the amount of enemies swarming the area. A myriad of cuts and bruises littered her frail body._

_“I’m going to die.” She bit her lip to prevent tears from falling down. Crying was a sign of weakness, as Master Aced always said. “Why did I believe them? I knew this place had high Heartless spawn rates.. Having a low-yield day was rarer than finding a blue rose in Wonderland’s Royal Gardens.” In the midst of her inner turmoil, she came to a single conclusion: “They wanted to get rid of me.”_

_A Neoshadow leaped high in the air, aiming to strike at Elise’s chest. Overcome with exhaustion, Elise could only shut her eyes and prepare for a lethal blow, gritting her teeth so tightly that her molars might have shattered. But it never came. Instead, the familiar crackle of a Thundaga spell swept through the area._

_The blonde whipped her head around to gaze at her savior. A brunette, with a Starlight Keyblade, danced through the sea of Heartless, leaving munny and HP capsules in her wake. In just a moment, the seemingly endless wave of Heartless disappeared, and the familiar view of the 1st District returned._

_Elise was shocked, to say the least. Grateful, perplexed, awed? In the midst of processing her thoughts, Elise failed to notice the brunette approaching her as she tried to process the last 30 seconds of her life._

_“Hey,” a voice called Elise out of her thoughts. She looked up, and was faced with brilliant blue hues, and a kind smile, unlike any other. “Are you alright?”_

_A momentary blush crossed the blonde’s cheeks. “Uh… yes! I’m fine. I just got a little beat up. Guess I’m a little rusty.”_

_The brunette’s eyebrows’ arched in suspicion. “That doesn’t look like ‘a little’ to me. You’re hurt. I’m willing to bet that you can’t stand up, either.” Elise attempted to rise quickly, and let out a grunt of pain as she fell back down on the stone pavement. “Here,” the brunette offered her hand, and Elise was quickly positioned so that her left arm curved around the brunette’s neck, and was held there by the other wielder’s grip. “Let’s get you to Fountain Square. There should be a clinic in that area.”_

_The two slowly trudged their way to the clinic in silence. A couple of side-glances and nervous twitches from Elise was enough for the brunette to prompt conversation again._

_“I’m Hiraeth. From Vulpes. I took the assignment in the 1st District ‘cause I heard that there was a particularly large amount of Lux to be harvested there. I didn’t expect that another wielder would have taken this assignment. Let alone be fatally injured.” The last part of Hiraeth’s introduction made Elise wince- as if she needed someone else to dampen her already low self-confidence._

_“My name’s Elise. I’m from Ursus. My being in the 1st District was a bit more of a sad accident than a reckless decision. I wasn’t there willingly...” Elise’s voice trailed off, realizing that she may have disclosed too much of her backstory in one sentence. Hiraeth’s eyebrows quirked in curiosity._

_“Wow, Ursus? I would have never thought. I’d imagine that people in Ursus would be more… well…”_

_Elise glowered at the brunette. “Self-righteous? Arrogant? Blood-thirsty? Wielders always end up like their masters, as they always say.” Realizing the meaning of her words, Elise flushed, and turned away from Hiraeth, whose face was plastered with surprise. “I-I mean, not that I hate my own Union or anything… it-it’s just that-” Elise wracked her brain to come up with a convincing excuse._

_“I’m sorry.”_

_Those two words quickly snapped Elise out of her anxiety-driven stupor._

_“I didn’t mean to assume anything about you. I was just curious about the people in the Ursus Union. Ever since I joined Vulpes, I felt like I didn’t get to interact much with wielders of other Unions.” Hiraeth grinned. “Did you know? You’re the first friend that I’ve made that isn’t with Vulpes.”_

_Elise knitted her brows in confusion. “Friend? We’ve barely met-”_

_“We introduced ourselves to each other, and we’re helping each other right now. Doesn’t that make us friends?” Hiraeth affirmed. Elise felt an unfamiliar warmth in her heart. A friend: something she never gained ever since she joined Ursus. “Anyway, what’s your story? You said you weren’t in the 1st District willingly.”_

_Elise bit her lip, and cursed her slip of the tongue. “Let’s just say… my team and I aren’t on the greatest terms.” Elise changed shifted her eyes to focus on the cubic patterns of the pavement. “I happen to be the weakest member of my group. Ursus has a… bad reputation for sabotaging other teams to get better rankings. I wasn’t useful enough for my group. My hunch is that I was sent there so that I would have been injured, to the point where I would have to be removed from my team. Permanently.”_

_Elise refused to acknowledge the tears on her face, and continued shakily. “But… I don’t have another team I can join. Who would want the weakest Ursus wielder on their team? It’s not a hard decision to make. If I don’t keep up with my daily Lux requirements I’ll get kicked out. And what then?” The blonde had begun blubbering, her words weaving together and becoming nearly incomprehensible. “I was already summoned by Master Aced multiple times for my low Lux returns. If this keeps up, I’ll get exiled from my Union. I don’t know what to do.”_

_Hiraeth moved herself and the now-sobbing Elise to a nearby bench, in a park kept isolated by winding corridors. The brunette attempted to soothe the blonde by holding the latter’s hand tightly, rubbing her thumb on the top of Elise’s hand in slow, circular motions. “It’s alright. I’m sure the Masters won’t do that. They trained all of us, surely they wouldn’t try and exile wielders out of their Unions. That wouldn’t be fair.”_

_Elise, now sniveling, tried her best to give an incredulous look towards Hiraeth with her puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. “I doubt it. The Masters created the same rule where people couldn’t interact with those affiliated with other Unions. I don’t think exiling someone for being weak isn’t out of the question. Besides, aren’t you open to judgement? A Vulpes interacting with an Ursus.”_

_Hiraeth tried to come up with a proper rebuttal, but failed. It was true. Somehow, the Masters had deemed interactions between Unions to be a threat, and thus outlawed it. It was meant to ‘bolster loyalty to one’s Union’ or something like that. Hiraeth didn’t understand. And somehow, she felt like Master Ava felt the same way._

_Releasing the blonde's hand, Hiraeth turned away from Elise, and sat facing forward. “I never understood that rule. It was something that I thought was there for a reason. But nowadays, people seem to hate each other more and more. I don’t like it. We’re all fighting for the same purpose, aren’t we? To protect the light by defeating the Heartless, and collecting Lux. Why are we acting like this?” Elise followed Hiraeth’s eyes, which were fixated on a large tapestry on the side of a cobblestone pillar, displaying the 5 Union’s symbols in a pentagonal arrangement. Harmonious, and yet terribly unrepresentative of current reality._

_“I wish I could give you an answer,” Elise murmured. Even she had begun to question the veracity of the Masters’ teachings, but she would rather become a Heartless than admit it to her fervent Ursus-pride team members._

_“Say,” Hiraeth shifted to face Elise again. “You said that you wouldn’t be able to keep up with your Lux requirements because of your injuries, right?” Elise nodded in response. “Well, I usually finish my missions pretty early in the day, so I have a lot of free time. How ‘bout I take up your missions?”_

_If Elise had the energy to stand up and yell about the outrageousness of the suggestion, she would. Unfortunately, she could only muster up the strength to utter a single, frank, “What.”_

_“Think about it. I could just say that I was taking overtime for my Union’s activities. I’d check up with you every morning and look over your missions. All you have to do is sign the reports with your signature and have your team turn them in for you. That way, you don’t get kicked out of your team, and you can also recover from your injuries! Besides, who wouldn’t want a high-ranking Vulpes wielder like me? You said it yourself, your team only cares about their ranking. They wouldn’t object to having a wielder who's notorious for completing their Lux requirements ten-fold, right? It’ll be perfect.”_

_Elise’s look of disbelief transformed into worry as her brows furrowed. “Hold on. What about after you leave? This can’t hold up forever. At most, it’ll have to be about two weeks until I have to start pulling my weight again. What are we going to do then?”_

_“I’ve heard of people submitting applications to join other Unions. It’s frowned upon, but not impossible. Besides. If I can raise your team’s rank up into the upper 20s, then consider them keeping you in their team as payment for me working hard to raise their ranking. It’d be a permanent exchange, so long as they can maintain that position.” Hiraeth stood up, abruptly, signaling that the duo should continue their journey to the Fountain Square clinic. “Come on, we should get there before it gets too late.”_

_Elise looked at Hiraeth’s outstretched hand with distress. “Why…” The brunette’s head tilted slightly, as if she misheard the blonde’s words. “Why are you being so nice? Don’t you know that you’re sabotaging yourself too? You’re better off if you don’t associate with me-”_

_Hiraeth took the opportunity to grab Elise’s hand herself, and pulled the blonde forward, onto her feet. “You’re someone who needs help, and someone who needs a friend. Isn’t that enough?” Elise tried to retort, but relented. No use arguing against kindness. She tried to walk forward, but began stumbling once more. Caught by the brunette’s arms, they assumed the same position they had before they stopped at the bench, and inched towards their destination as the sun began to touch the horizon._

///

“-ey. Hey!” Elise blinked slowly before shifting her head to face Hiraeth. The brunette had her hands at her side, with her eyebrows raised with concern. “I wanted to ask how you were feeling.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m feeling much better. I’ll be able to start missions by the end of this week, according to the doctor.” Compared to her state when she first entered the clinic, Elise recovered remarkably. But one could never be too sure, the nurse reassured. “What about you? How’s double-time working out for you?”

Right on cue, Hiraeth yawned loudly and suddenly the bags under her cobalt hues became much more prominent. “Ugh, yesterday took a real toll on me. Agrabah had a whole slew of Yellow Operas in the desert. Not really difficult, but they camouflaged really well with the sand, and they fire very quickly. Needless to say, a lot of dodging was involved.” The brunette dragged a chair from the left wall and positioned it to be facing Elise’s bed.

“That sounds horrible. In any case, you won’t have to do this much longer. At least, ‘til the end of this week. What about your team and mine?” Hiraeth shifted uncomfortably in the wooden armchair.

“Well… my team’s been getting suspicious about where I’ve been going every afternoon, since I've stopped going to the library. And your team doesn’t seem particularly happy about letting me go so soon. But, I’ve reminded your team about the deal we made. On top of that, I’ve threatened to submit a misconduct form to the Masters if they don’t comply. ‘Course, neither of us want that.” Elise laughed silently. It was true, the only way that this agreement worked was by making sure each party didn’t say a word. Lying to the Masters, it was immoral. And yet…

“Some things don’t comply with the rules, even though in our hearts we know that it is right.” Elise recited. “You told me that when we were in the clinic, when I asked you why you decided to do this.” A comfortable silence replaced hushed conversations, and soon, a pleasant ambience silenced their busy minds. “My missions are on the shelf, next to the door.” Elise tilted her head to the left, towards a tall, mahogany bookshelf-like structure with multiple tiers.

“Right,” The brunette rose and moved towards the door, grabbing the roll of parchment on her way out. “Get some rest, okay?”

Elise, moving back under her covers, responded sleepily, “I’m way ahead of you.” Before the blonde fell asleep, she heard the brunette’s jubilant laughter before the door closed shut.

///

The young wielder found herself awake hours later, rudely awoken by her Chirithy. “What is it? I barely-”

“She got caught.”

Those three words ran chills down the blonde’s spine. “They… what?”

“Someone caught her giving the reports to one of your teammates. The person who submitted the misconduct form stated that he had never seen Hiraeth at any of the Ursus meetings, and deduced that an Ursus team was outsourcing work from other wielders.” The gray cat-like spirit jumped down from the oak bedside table, hovering briefly before meeting the wooden floorboards. “Master Ava took responsibility in interrogating her wielder.”

Endless possibilities throbbed Elise’s skull. Hiraeth would be punished. Exiled. Removed. Demoted. Any horrible punishment that Elise could only fathom would befall Hiraeth and not her. Hiraeth, the gracious person she is, who decided to take up Elise’s burden. Hiraeth, the kind and gentle soul, who saved and comforted Elise in her time of need. Hiraeth, the person who didn’t deserve it.

_‘It should have been me.’_

She didn’t have time. Jumping out of bed, she clumsily changed her clothes into her normal attire and dashed out into the open street, nearly colliding with multiple wielders. As she approached an empty street, she saw her Chirithy waving on the northern end of a pavilion, towards the entrance of the town’s colossal clock tower.

///

“According to this report, you willingly worked with another Union despite your responsibilities and your knowledge of the rules.

“Yes.”

“You contributed to another Union’s Lux count and to another team’s ranking for your own purpose.”

That one stung a bit more. “Yes.”

“And, above all this, you committed to this scheme for several days, correct?”

“...Yes.”

Master Ava sighed heavily. “I saw potential in you. A bright wielder who saw the importance of following the rules and being a great samaritan, as well as a great leader and teammate. Perhaps…” The Foreteller turned away from Hiraeth and gazed at the circular stained-glass window. “Has the darkness infected you as well? With jealousy, or greed?” Hiraeth couldn’t move. Every muscle in her body was dedicated to staying perfectly still. Her eyes were shut tightly, hoping that if she woke up, this would simply be a nightmare.

Loud clangs of metal interrupted her thoughts. Her eyes flashed open, and the brunette deliberately moved her gaze towards the right side of the room, hoping that she could identify the source of the noise. Evidently she focused less on Master Ava’s questioning and more on the approaching footsteps meeting metal.

Suddenly, the door flung open, startling Hiraeth. A disheveled and exhausted Elise stood in the doorway, grasping with one hand, the door frame, and the door handle with the other. Hiraeth’s unease was quickly replaced with concern for the Ursus wielder.

A stentorian voice halted the brunette in her tracks. “What is the meaning of this?” Master Ava stood tall, analyzing the situation at hand. “Explain yourself. What is your Union?”

Elise and Hiraeth locked gazes with one another. The latter shook her head, gradually increasing to a more disconcerting pace once she realized what the former was intending to say. The former, fueled by adrenaline and the desire to protect her only friend, steeled her senses and looked away from the Vulpes wielder, and towards the Master, bathed in the light of judgement.

“My name is Elise. I hail from Ursus. Hiraeth had been working in my place to fulfill my obligations to my team while I had been fatally injured in a Heartless attack. I misjudged my ability to handle the swarm in the 1st District, and Hiraeth offered to complete my missions while I recovered so that I would be able to maintain my position on my team. My position had been compromised for quite some time, and Hiraeth only offered to allay some of my team’s tensions with me-” Elise’s gaze flickered around the room, anywhere but Master Ava’s gaze. The hooded wielder did not move a muscle, and one quick glance at her masked face indicated that her frown had deepened. Elise’s heart pounded with fear. Was her frown from disappointment or deep thought? “Please,” the blonde bowed in respect, her head falling below her waist. “Whatever punishment you considered for her, enforce them on me. I deserve it. I manipulated an innocent wielder to fulfill my needs because I didn’t want to consider what my team might do to me-”

A sharp voice interrupted Elise’s spiel. Hiraeth, gazing desperately at the blonde, repeated, “Stop lying. It wasn’t your fault. You had nothing to do with it. You were just-” Master Ava raised a single hand- and the room went quiet once more.

“You.” The masked Foreteller faced Hiraeth. “You never answered my question. From when I brought you here. Why did you do it?” Hiraeth made an attempt to swallow the lump in her throat, but failed. She met Elise’s eyes once again, recalling the anguish and misery that she heard the blonde endured ever since she had joined Ursus.

“I’m sorry Master Ava, but… I wanted to help her because... I believed that they needed help.” The Master seemed surprised, Elise noticed. The tense posture that the young Foreteller once held seemed to have deflated, slightly. However, the veteran wielder’s countenance remained unchanged. “Regardless of our Union, we are all the same, fighting to protect light. I know it is against the rules to meddle in another Union’s matters, but if someone truly needed help, and if there was no one else to help them… How could I just ignore it? It doesn’t seem fair that I shouldn’t help because they’re different. I believe that, in my heart.” It definitely wasn’t fair, by Hiraeth’s standards. Elise didn’t deserve to be isolated from her team. Elise didn’t deserve to be pressured to take on dangerous missions in order to ‘prove herself’ to others. Everything about Elise’s story, and how people treated the blonde, nothing rang right in Hiraeth’s mind. She would be lying if she said that it didn’t bother her. “If helping others is wrong just because they're different, then.. I'll accept the consequences of my actions.” Hiraeth found the strength to directly face her leader, sky-blue hues twinkling with determination.

Elise caught Master Ava exhaling softly. It almost seemed like… Elise’s eyebrows creased with consideration.

_‘It almost sounded like… she was relieved? Maybe even proud?’_

Master Ava clasped her hands together. “Well, I’m glad I was able to gain multiple perspectives of the story. It is always wise to consider what others might have to say about a certain situation.” The hooded Master gestured towards Elise. “I’ll make sure Aced hears about this case properly. Of course, with the additional insight I’ve acquired from you two.” The blonde fidgeted in place, mulling over the possible sentences that her leader would enforce. Hiraeth moved to stand next to Elise. “And for you. While I can’t simply eliminate your punishment, it will be much kinder than what I had originally planned. Your individual ranking will fall 10 placements. In addition, your Lux counts for the past week will be nullified, nothing more.” The brunette sighed in relief, exhausted by holding her breath in anticipation. “That will be all. You are dismissed.” The two, bowing dutifully, shuffled towards the door in the south end of the room.

Soon, Master Ava was left to her own thoughts. She had much more pressing matters to attend to. A furtive smile crept on her face. If the others found out she had essentially removed Hiraeth’s punishment, she wouldn’t hear the end of it. But, her role came first.

 _'She has potential. I wonder… would she be fit to join the Dandelions?'_ She made her way towards the stained glass window in the forefront of the room. Glancing downwards, she saw the blonde and brunette walk together, hand in hand. They were laughing and smiling, with a sincerity that defied the Unions’ compartmentalization in its entirety. _'Yes. She certainly would._ 'The fox-masked Foreteller smiled fondly, before looking out into the distance.

“A heart that can reach out beyond the boundaries of what it knows- and change. And to think, she is not the only one. ”

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this was just a drabble turned fic about my two khux ocs. hiraeth is a skilled and brave wielder from vulpes, who has a kind heart and aims to be a great samaritan. elise is a shy wielder from ursus, who hopes to gain the same strength and courage that master aced has. i don't expect anyone to read this, really. but if someone does, thank you for reading! 
> 
> *also the title is not v good but i could not come up with a good one for the life of me  
> **edited because i forgot to finish the summary, the tags and a whole bunch of things oops


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